It was 1995 and the world of heavy metal was at a crossroads. Metallica had drifted from its thrash roots to something more polished and mature with The Black Album; the hair metal of the 80s was becoming a distant memory and even the more extreme forms were starting to mellow.
Paradise Lost, not to be outdone were also starting to fill out their previously oppressive and bleak sound with melodies and string arrangements. Icon, released in 1993 had a beautifully warm sound and was far easier on the ear than 1992’s Shades of God. Yet it was easy to tell both albums came from the same artist.
It was 1995’s Draconian Times that would take the formula into a whole new level.
A New The Black Album
This may seem like a reductive sub-heading, but there is a good reason for it. When Draconian Times released, it arrived in a limited edition box, complete with a beautifully designed booklet and artwork. The outer box was completely black, just a sticker on the front to tell you what was inside.
The black album comparisons don’t stop there though. Like Metallica’s self-titled album, a more concise and accessible progression from where they had traveled between Master of Puppets and …and justice for all, Draconian Times was a further refinement of what Paradise Lost had achieved with Icon.
Icon always sounded warm to me. The mids were very forward, the bass and treble slightly recessed, so the drums didn’t have a lot of impact. They would go on to rectify this somewhat in their re-recording from 2023 (they didn’t own the rights to the 1993 recording of Icon, the label did, so they had to re-record it and put new artwork on it), but Draconian Times had a more lifelike sound. The bass drums have more of a slap, the snare cuts through nicely and the guitars fill the space allowing Nick Holmes to deliver his raspy vocals over the top.
The vocals, much like with Icon, are more tuneful than they were in Gothic or Shades of God. Think singing angrily rather than a death-metal growl.
From a songwriting perspective, Draconian Times continues the doom and despair themes from previous albums, but the album is paced in such a way that the songs stand on their own rather than all bleeding into one, like Metallica’s last three albums have (oof, did you really have to go there?).
Enchantment starts us off with a piano and big pondering riffs, before upping the pace with Hallowed Land, but even that has a piano bridge to provide some breathing space. The Last Time and Forever Failure change things up again before Shadowkings and Elusive Cure provide some airy and dare I say it, progressive stylings.
It is the middle of the album where Draconian Times really hits its stride. Shadowkings, Elusive Cure and Yearn For Change may be the best songs Paradise Lost has ever released. They are unmistakably Paradise Lost songs, but they are songs that I can’t help but sing along to.
This is not to say the rest of the album is bad, far from it. Shades of God, Hands of Reason and I See Your Face are absolutely fantastic, but if I was to be picky, that middle three are untouchable.
Jaded is the last song and is the closest thing to a ballad on this record, but it is the point in the record where I realise it is nearly over. Now, I’ve been listening to this regularly since it was released in 1995. My first exposure to Paradise Lost was from a Kerrang cover CD, but since the album was released it has been never far from my side.
It is 2025 now and I’m still not in any way shape or form bored of Draconian Times. It has been 30 years, but I still can’t get enough of it.
If you’ve not listened to it yet, you’ll find it here: https://listenbrainz.org/album/564ebe39-4d24-32c7-982d-416149393780/